


Silver Blades

by EvangelineSamos



Series: Red Queen [1]
Category: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Emotions, F/F, F/M, Female Protagonist, Gen, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-10-06 00:31:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17335310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvangelineSamos/pseuds/EvangelineSamos
Summary: =============================-=-Inspiration-=-=============================“You are steel," I whisper in my head. “Steel does not break or bend.” But I can already feel myself bowing, giving way to my father’s will.- Victoria Aveyard (King’s Cage)=====================================================================An Iron Princess.Born only ten months after Cal Calore, Evangeline was created to become the future queen and pursue her father, Volo Samos' quest for power. But sometimes weapons do not turn out the way they're were meant to, despite their creator's wishes. Evangeline was forged from iron and poison, born to be perfect. However, when she meets Elane Haven, she wonders if there could be another path for her to follow ; one that might lead to happiness rather than power, and love rather than a crown...=====================================================================





	1. Iron Princess

 

 

I sit alone in my bedroom. Trappings of iron and steel gild the ceilings and walls. A furnished prison. I shift a little to gaze out of the window. The bullet around my neck bobs slowly with my movements. The metal seems to whisper against my skin. A constant reminder of impossible shoes to fill. Sometimes I wonder whether if Father made me wear it to remind me about who I am and what must be done, rather than to teach me to recognise these little things like a bullet’s touch.

The door creeps and Father enters the room. Volo Samos clasps his hands around my face. “You are steel,” he whispers to me. “Steel does not break or bend.” He forces my chin up and I stare into the blackness of his eyes. Hunger gleams there, the only evidence of his insatiable appetite for power.

“Steel,” I echo. “Forged in the heat of blood and agony.” His eyes drift towards the bullet. “Remember that.”

Beneath his beard, his lips twist into a smirk and I can feel the smug satisfaction dripping. The silver necklace seems to tighten around my neck. It seems more like a collar now. Even now, he enjoys reminding Ptolemus and I that he is the one who holds our leashes, our lives. And his grip is iron. Father’s gaze softens and he bends a little to me. Lowers himself an inch just so he can whisper one last thing into my ear, “Remember what you are made for. What you are.” I know that he sees me little more than a weapon ; a bullet intended to be used ; and he is the gun, ready to fire me in a predetermined trajectory.

He embraces me in what seems like a hug. The contact is brief. Fleeting. There is no place for anything more than the painful kiss of metal in our house. As he leaves the room, I can almost hear the clicking of puzzle pieces as they meld together, forming another step forwards in Volo Samos’ great plan.

A plan that I must follow.

I watch him leave the room, the Samos guard outside straightening and saluting him. I frown. Father turns around, catching the question in my stare, and the iron door closes behind him.

He leaves me alone to ponder over our conversation. Even with my ability, the bullet hangs around my neck like a leaden weight. Lying on my bed, I stretch my arms towards the ceiling and reach for the metal decorations. With a twist of my wrist, iron and steel merge together into little creatures of my creation. They scuttle around me, gleaming in comparison to the dull black of my bed sheets. My fingers flutter and they drop in a melded pool of glistening silver. It widens into a thin band that I shape slowly across my forehead. I concentrate and thin ribbons of metal crawl into patterns of my fancy.

Footsteps sound outside. I recognise them. A knock rattles on the door. "Tolly?" My brother struts into the room. "Father wants us," he tells me, eyes dancing over the crowns that I have fashioned. I move my fingers and they morph back into their original shapes. He smiles and looks at me. "Eve, you don't need to hide anything from me."

His voice softens, and something glints in his eyes as he turns towards me. Ptolemus bends down and sits next to me. The bracelets around his wrist tightens as he opens his mouth. He whispers, "You know what this is going to be about, don't you."

I swallow. "Yes."

On the other side of the room, a trophy starts to wobble, its surface rippling as my power tears roaring through my shred of control that I have.

Beside me, Tolly stiffens. His lips quiver as words tangle in his throat. I know what he means to to say, to ask. The unspoken question hangs in the air, invisibly obvious.

"Not now, Tolly," I tell him. There is no escape from this life, and I must follow this path paved for me. Father wishes to see me soon, and my walls must not crumble. To show weakness is to appear powerless and to appear powerless is weakness itself. And weakness is not the Samos way.

Already, I can feel my foundations crumbling. I stand up and look down at my brother. He frowns a little, worry flickering over his features. I offer him my hand, and he clasps it pulling himself up.

Steeling myself, I nod at him. "Let's get going. We shouldn't keep Father waiting." My fingers quickly unlace from his, and I feel a bit emptier without the warmth from his grip. He snickers in response, and we walk together through the iron hallways.

 

 

 

Volo Samos glares at us from the head of the table as we enter. I shiver as his gaze drops onto me, my skin crawling under the icy weight of his stare. "About time," he grunts. Father looks down at his untouched plate of roast beef. Sauce sweats off the meat as it lies cooling. He ignores it and lifts his head. "We're moving back to the Archeon palace," he says.

I ease myself into one of the seats.

Beside him, Mother picks up her silverware and adds, "Tomorrow." I scowl at the idea of leaving the Rift only to return into the endless webs of plotting nobles. If only my metal could cut through those as easily as it slices flesh. She turns to me and raises a perfect eyebrow. I don't turn to look at him, but I can feel Father smile as he oozes with smugness. He is enjoying this. Enjoying putting me inside another cage, one that only I can feel.

I clench my teeth and direct my focus into cutting the meat on my plate. The knife in my hand bends a little as it touches the plate. Ptolemus is quiet next to me, fuming in waves of silent anger. We all knew that we would return, but none of us could have guessed that it would be so soon. 

I quickly realise what this is. A slap in the face. A reckless display of his power. My fist tightens on the knife and I force a forkful of beef into my mouth if only to stop my teeth from breaking. 

Father leers at me from his seat. 

Reaching for my wine glass, I turn away from the weight of his stare. Disobeying him is useless as there is only path to follow. At least none that I can see. I raise my glass in salute, the crimson liquid pooling in an oily mess.

It seems almost nauseating.

 

 

_"To Strength. To Power. To House Samos."_

 

 

 


	2. Spider Webs

My face is stretched in the thin mask of a smile as I nod and curtsy to Elara Merandus. Behind me, Father dips his head at her. My mind becomes blissfully blank as I bury my thoughts quickly under a veil of blabber and gossip, little things quickly pulled and dropped. Diamondglass shimmering under the gentle rays of the morning sun. Elane’s dress. The aroma of spices in the lamb at lunch.

 

It’s never wise to expose your thoughts near a whisperer, and I almost sigh in relief as I feel the raking hands drift away. The shadow quickly dissipates, gone in the blink of an eye, leaving me with the murmurs of my own mind.

 

Without another word, the Queen smirks at us and leaves as quickly as she came, her footsteps already fading. No guards trail her. I shiver. With her power, I suppose that she has no use for them.

 

After all, why bother with something that can be seen when you can inflict invisible wounds. The ones that truly hurt most.

 

Mother’s snake twists away from its still posture around her collarbone and hisses with annoyance, betraying her own desire to escape into the privacy of our own living quarters. I share the same feeling, but my features remain in the same taut lines.

We arrived at the palace earlier than the other royal families. Too early, in fact for my liking.

 

The bullet around my neck bobs on my throat, and the fine silver chain seems to shrink with every exhalation. I adjust it a bit with my ability. A chain link further apart - so small that no one besides me would know, but still enough so that I can breathe. Although, with Father marching stone-faced beside me, I know that I am still a prisoner in a cage that I can never escape. But if stretching is the only taste of freedom that is allowed, I’m making the most of it.

 

Even in the open walkways with the sun pouring on my neck, I can still feel the oily unnaturalness that the palace oozes.

 

A red servant scurries past and for a second I wonder what an ordinary life could be like. The unreachable taste of freedom. Being ordinary. Invisible. Forgotten. Trampled. The thought quickly flies out of my head, souring.

 

_I am Silver and I will never be Red._

 

Father’s voice rings in my head. I am eight again. He bellows at a Red servant and smashes another plate to the ground. She's on the ground crying. She holds her hands up in sheer terror and the palms are embedded with white splinters of porcelain. She mouths something but I cannot hear what she says. 

 

But it doesn't matter.

 

I am Silver and I will never be Red.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry y'all for the late update! School's been keeping me really busy nowadays. I'll try to post the next update as soon as possible! Thanks for all the kind words <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr @princessevangelinesamos
> 
> This is my first fanfic so feel free to leave any feedback or criticism. I'll try to update this whenever I have time so stay tuned ~


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